1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to flexible steerable instruments, such as steerable catheters and/or probes which are remotely operated in endoscopic, endoluminal and laparoscopic surgical procedures. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to a system and method for rigidizing a flexible steerable instrument.
2. Background of Related Art
Various minimally invasive surgical procedures utilize endoscopic, endoluminal and laparoscopic surgical techniques. These techniques generally involve insertion of surgical instruments through small incisions. One example of such surgical instruments is a flexible steerable instrument which may have a tool assembly (e.g., grasping jaws, cutting tool, camera, suction attachment, etc.) attached at a distal end of the instrument. These instruments can be navigated and steered inside the patient's body due to their flexibility. Once in position, it is often desired for the flexible steerable instruments to be held in a particular position to perform the desired tissue manipulation using the tool assembly.
Conventional flexible steerable instruments include two or more segments which are configured to pivot and/or swivel relative to each other by using one or more tensile elements running therethrough. The tensile elements are coupled to the distal segment and when the elements are tightened (e.g., pulled in the proximal direction) the segments are drawn together preventing the segments from sliding and/or pivoting due to friction forces between the segments thereby rigidizing the flexible instrument. One drawback of the conventional flexible steerable instruments utilizing tensile elements is that if an insufficient amount of tension is provided in the tensile elements, the steerable instrument may continue to swivel and/or pivot upon application of a force to the instrument. Therefore there is a need for a novel flexible steerable instrument configured to maintain its rigidity.